NEW DELHI, 7 February 2020, TON: India reacted strongly on Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s statement that Hindu-majority India was invading and occupying the State of Jammu and Kashmir. He also spoke against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was resented by Indian leadership at New Delhi. Indian warned its importers to stop import of Malaysian oil. However, Indian blackmailing tactics to force Malaysia to change its Kashmir policy or face embargo on export of Malaysian oil to India did not work.

As per data of Malaysian Palm Oil Council statists, India bought 4.4 million tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia in 2019, accounting for 24% of all Malaysian palm oil exports. Pakistan is third largest buyer of Malaysian Palm oil with 1.08 million tonnes in same year. The Government of Pakistan has announced that if India continues with bar on import of palm oil from Malaysia, Pakistan will compensate by starting import of oil from Malaysia. In the same regard, groups of importers have started contacting Malaysian Palm oil exporters. 

NEW DELHI, 7 February 2020, TON: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived India on a five-day visit on Friday, 7 February and was received at New Delhi Airport by Union Minister Sanjay Dhotre.

The Sri Lankan Prime Minister will hold talks with President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and also the Sri Lankan disporea in India.

The Sri Lankan leaders will  Sarnath Buddhist Temple, Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Sarnath Buddhist Temple at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and other temples in Bihar.  

The sources at Prime Minister House told TON that Sri Lankan leader will also raise the issue of Indian fishermen illegally trawling fish its side of the Palk Strait as well India’s tactics regarding Tamils separatists.

GUWAHATI, 6 February 2020, TON: PM Narendra Modi is expected to visit Assam on tomorrow on 7 February to address a public rally at Kokrajhar in the Bodo Territorial Area District (BTAD).

On January 27, an agreement signed between the Centre, the Assam government and Bodo stakeholders (NDFB and its factions)  saw the announcement of various measures to ensure the territorial and cultural integrity of the region. Several institutes will be set up to bring growth and development to the region. PM Modi will fly in Guwahati and then take a chopper to Kokrajhar. Later, he will fly to West Bengal and then to New Delhi.

Assam was the first state to protest against CAA. CAA aims to provide amnesty to religiously persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan by giving them Indian Citizenship. The cut-off date has been fixed at, on or before 31st December 2014.

People in Assam see this as a violation of the Assam Accord that had set 25 March 1971, as the cut-off date for the detection and deportation of illegal foreigners from the State.

People of Assam have expressed fear and anxiety that CAA would regularize citizenship of several outsiders in the state and thus it will impact its demography and ethno-cultural integrity.

SRINAGAR, 6 February 2020, TON:  A suspicious blast occurred due to explosion near a dustbin in near Lal Bazar police station area in Srinagar on Thursday morning. One Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel and two others were injured in the incident and has been shifted to Base Hospital Srinagar.

Meanwhile, a day earlier, a Kashmiri Mujahid and a CRPF jawan were killed in a shoot out at Shalteng on Wednesday.

COLOMBO, 6 February 2020, TON: On the occasion of Sri Lanka’s Independence Day on 4^th February, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced general amnesty to absconders and deserters from the tri-services.

Accordingly, Sri Lankan military command on Wednesday declared a week-long general amnesty for the Army, Air Force and Navy personnel who had deserted their official duties and allowed them to either rejoin the forces or apply for discharge.

The amnesty would come into effect from February 5 and extended up to 12 February 2020, and will allow absent without leave and other uniformed personnel rejoin their services. The amnesty has also been newly recruited personnel who were under training at various Regimental Centers or Recruit Training Centers.

UNDER 19 WORLD CUP, 5 February 2020, TON: India Under-19 opening pair of Yashasvi  Jaiswal and Davyaansh Sexena , who shared an unbeaten stand of 176 to lead the defending champions to a thumping ten-wicket win in the first semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup in Potchefstroom. India's victory took them to their third straight final and closer to a fifth Under-19 World Cup title; they will play the winner of New Zealand and Bangladesh in the final on 9 February.

GUWAHATI, 5 February 2020, TON:  United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) leader Pranamoy Rajguru, who is in contact with Government of India appeared before NIA court on Tuesday, 4 February. It is pertinent to mention here same cadre is main accused in the blast carried out by ULFA elements in Guwahati in May 2019. Pranamoy Rajguru informed the court that ULFA cadre’s leader Paresh Baruah, who is currently in exile, is ready for peace talks with the Government. However, the development could not be independently confirmed by TON sources. 

Sources at Guwahati reported that the Indian Army Eastern Command has planned a three phased operation this years to eliminate ULFA reaming leadership.  

It is important to mention here that Assam was to form part of Pakistan as founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his statement of May 1947 clarified, “We want national home and national state in our homelands which are predominantly Muslims and are compromised of six units of the Punjab, the N.W.F.P, the Sind, the Baluchistan,  Bengal and Assam.”   

NEW DELHI, 5 February 2020, TON: The Indian government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that no proposal is under consideration to set up de-radicalization camps in Jammu & Kashmir.

There were reports that after the setting up of de-radicalization camps by the Israeli commandos in Jammu and Leh area, the Indo-US strategic partnership provided setting of at least five additional camps to de-radicalize the Muslim Kashmiris. Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy refuted the reports and told the Rajya Sabha that there is no proposal on that account.

Last month, with regard to setting up of de-radicalization centres in Jammu & Kashmir Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat talked about some existing camps and establishment of five new centers.

If we recall, Jammu & Kashmir Director General (Police) Dilbagh Singh Singh had said that Pakistan and its terror proxies have been trying to spread radicalization in Kashmir which has affected many youth. He also announced setting up of de-radicalization centres to help those youth who have gone astray to words Islamic extremism.

NEW DELHI: 5 February 2020, TON” The Indian Union cabinet voted in favour of a trust for the construction of “Ram Mandir” at Ayodhya. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday informed in the Lok Sabha that a “Ramjanmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra” has been formed which will have powers to decide on the construction of temple. The Trust has been give land along with the Ramjanmabhoomi which includes 67.77 Acres in Ayodhya.

As per the announcement of the Prime Minister, the Muslims, “Sunni Waqf Board” has been allocated only 5 Acres land as per Supreme Court order of November last year. Uttar Pradesh government will provide the land to the Muslims.

On 9 November 2019, the India Supreme Court in its judgment rejected the claims of the Muslims and gave the Ramjanmabhoomi to Hindus for the construction of “Ram Mandir”.

MUZAFFARABAD, 5 February 2020, TON: Indian Army troops carried out unprovoked firing in the Lepa Valley from across the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday midnight, deliberately targeting civilian population, In use of small arms and 81 mm mortar four unarmed Kashmiris, including two women and a child were injured.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office summoned a senior diplomat from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to register Pakistan's strong protest at the ceasefire violations by Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control.

According Foreign Office’s statement, due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian forces in Danna Sector of LoC, 22 year old Shamim Bibi, 10 year old Farhaz, 35 year old Ansar, all three residents of village Chatargam and 17 year old Moniza Bibi, resident of Bagh Ali, sustained serious injuries.